Thursday, February 26, 2009

From an IT perspective this may actually be a benefit. If more people are moving toward plans funded by the federal government, then the government’s IT procurement decisions should be definitive in terms of standards and protocols.

If the VA, the military, Medicare and Medicaid build and re-build their IT infrastructure based on the same open standards, in other words, those become the standards the private insurance market will follow.

Assuming, of course, that the U.S. government builds to a single standard.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

His presentation described the way organizations use social media internally. He said that corporate wikis sometimes were under utilized because employees are fearful of looking like “the company idiot.” It is easier to have social sites within the organization which are limited to small groups. It is easier to share ideas with people you know, and who will vet your ideas without flaming you. Gradually, as employees get more comfortable with sharing information, information can seep through the garden walls so that it can be shared with those higher up in the company.

Vander Wal said that it was important to have the right software to do this and that Sharepoint is not social software. Sharepoint creates silos that cannot be searched. Since I have never used Sharepoint, I have no opinion on this.

The three times that I have attended Refresh DC the presentations have been excellent and well attended. In fact, Refresh DC is the only group I have ever participated in that had attendees standing because there were not enough seats. I would describe the crowd as mostly developers and very Web 2.0. For the price of pizza and soft drinks you could be a sponsor and have your company mentioned every month. If you are considering sponsoring a local group, and your company does significant business with Web 2.0 companies, this might be something to consider.

She discussed the challenged of developing tools to be used across the federal government, with every agency having its unique requirements. Concerning the Naming and Design Rules Profile for example, Morris said that there was general agreement that spelling out an entire name, as opposed to using an acronym, was preferable; except the CIA pointed out that their acronyms were for classified material. At this a member of the audience said, “welcome to the program,” to general laughter. It was a Washington, DC moment.

In an article about social media's impact on conferences, and the blurring line between the speakers and the audience Wired uses the word "prosumers," presumably a combination of producer and consumers.

I just want to say to editors that if you don't want flacks to use cute, gimmicky, jargon, don't you be using it.

Monday, February 23, 2009

The DC XML Users Group site has undergone a complete redesign. It is now a Drupal site, with the possibility to maintain a blog, participate in discussion forums, and otherwise participate in an online community.

Last.fm has hit out at an uncorroborated report that alleged the music streaming website passed user data over to the Recording Industry Ass. of America (RIAA).

The CBS-owned outfit responded angrily to a report posted late Friday by TechCrunch that cited an unsourced rumour, which claimed Last.fm handed over a “giant dump of user data to track down people who are scrobbling unreleased tracks" to the RIAA.

Tamar Weinberg has an excellent post on the impact of Twitter on presentations. Weinberg shares my view that Twittering in the audience is a positive development as it amplifies the impact of of a presentation. Before you only had a chance to present to whoever showed up; but now you have the possibility to reach hundreds, possibly thousands via the Twitter stream.

Of course, presentation preparation will have to be adjusted for Twitter. If you are rehearsing a client for a presentation, it will be necessary to include some method of monitoring audience Twitter feedback.

And more than ever, it will be necessary to impress upon clients that there is no such animal as off the record. A presentation is inherently a public act.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

MINGORA, Pakistan (AFP) — Hundreds of Pakistanis on Thursday protested against the killing of a TV reporter in the insurgency-torn Swat valley, where an elderly cleric made peace overtures to a firebrand commander.

Unknown gunmen shot Musa Khan Khel, 28, in the head and body Wednesday near the town of Matta in the former ski resort, where Islamist hardliners led by Maulana Fazlullah have waged a nearly two-year campaign to enforce sharia law.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Mitch Arnowitz of Tuvel Communications was kind enough to give us an interview about his work for Netpreneur and the other technology groups he has worked with. His son has Perthes disease and he shares part of what he has learned about it.

How did you get interested in technology and communications? Did one come before the other?

I began in sales. From there, I got involved in direct marketing. I was fascinated when I realized, in 1995, that you could find people on the Internet and sell things to them. Fast-forward: I became enamored with the notion of using the Internet to not only broadcast but build relationships. I’m interested in the technology, but only as a means to an end. It’s always about the people and … not the technology. Having said all of that, I am still intrigued with e-mail list software and hosted solutions that support communication programs.

How did you come to found Tuvel Communications?

I was very involved in the Netpreneur program. After the Netpreneur Program went away, I went to work for a technology consulting shop. I was being billed out at an exorbitant rate. I was working with contacts and relationships developed over the years. I knew that I could lower the overhead, charge less and still make a profit while helping my clients. With that notion in mind, I founded Tuvel Communications.

At the same time, I saw a void in the online landscape. There weren’t, and still aren’t, many firms that combined grassroots and social media marketing help clients get their messages out effectively at reasonable costs. E-mail lists, user groups, web forums, niche online communities—these have all become an integral part of marketing. The trick, of course, is to do things the right way and leave a positive lasting impression.

How did you become involved in Netpreneur?

All the way back in 1995, I was working for the Internet’s first “department store” and traveling extensively at the time. A mutual friend put me in touch with Mario Morino. At the time, the Potomac Knowledgeway, Netpreneur’s precursor, was still around. The Netpreneur Program was being hatched. Mario offered me an opportunity to create the program’s marketing program and cut back on my travel.

How do you think the internet boom and bust compares to our present time?

Current economic problems run much deeper than the Internet. When the market imploded in 2000, it seemed to be largely in the tech sector. This time around, everything is affected. The boom-and-bust days were filled with entrepreneurs who knew no limits. A dozen years ago, people were quitting their jobs to work with start-ups or start their own companies. Today, they can’t find jobs and there seem to be fewer resources for start-ups.

My passion has always been in the advertising-marketing-sales space. I developed a plan that helped Netpreneur’s constituency with a one-to-many approach. I realized that I might not have the marketing answer, but that there were others out there who did. To leverage community input, we developed an e-mail list. This enabled us to get answers and build relationships while spreading the word. Then, we built a website and had offline AdMarketing meetings. From there, the concept took off as an e-mail community.

What is important to the maintenance and cultivation of an e-mail discussion list?

A vibrant community needs someone(s) to steer the ship. Not necessarily a moderator, but a facilitator. It’s mission-critical to maintain a core group of supporters. These stakeholders help create and mine content, keep the civil discourse going, and give the facilitator an occasional break. It’s important to establish and maintain the personality and culture of a group. Doing this early on makes it easier to manage expectations.

Being a long-time resident of Montgomery County, I’ve been involved with the council for some time. A couple of years ago, the council and my firm began discussions about building relationships through social media. The Tech Council of Maryland, with Tuvel’s guidance, began to use social networking tools for advocacy programs and membership marketing.

Regional organizations like these provide necessary infrastructure. As the walls have come down between people and organizations, different types of affinity groups are springing up on social networking sites, in Meetups and other places. It is incumbent upon us all to work together and grow the pie—increase the total opportunities for the whole community. We already see this happening with efforts like Twin Tech.

How you describe Potomac technology culture?

The Washington, DC, culture is an interesting mix of business, government and organizations. A dozen years ago, people said that Washington was turning away from the government sector and defense contractors, and becoming a tech center. These days, the government might be an attractive place to work! With the preponderance of tech companies and regional infrastructure, Washington has always been a tech town. The government, on the other hand, is also here to stay. Washington’s culture will always be that odd mix where business and government come together.

What is Perthes disease? Is there an organization devoted to fighting this disease? What are the particular challenges of coping with a rare disease? Are there any resources you would recommend to families coping with a similar challenge?

Our son was recently diagnosed with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, which is a form of osteonecrosis and a rare disease of the hip. It is not life-threatening, but it is serious. One of the challenges is the lack of consensus in the medical community. This leads to confusion. It’s difficult for parents to make treatment discussions. The Internet is a great resource—it allows you to connect with other families going through the same experience. The biggest challenge for any of us is to watch a child in pain and not be able to do anything about it.

Student Movement for Real Change (SMRC) empowers a generation of young leaders to identify and develop sustainable solutions to health and education in partnership with developing communities.

It takes a great deal of courage to get up in front of a group like that and ask to have one’s website critiqued. The ensuing discussion was very informative to anyone with an interest in the role of online communications in building a non-profit organization.

How did you come to launch your company?I built what I needed. An intensely busy period in my consulting career was threatening the health and strength of my finances. I didn't have the time it took to stay on top of bills, etc. on a regular basis, and it really bothered me. I searched for a service that would look after my bills and credit as diligently as I did when I had the time. I couldn't find one. I actually considered hiring a personal assistant just to take care of my bills, but that seemed a bit excessive, so I struggled along. When I "retired" from consulting, FreyerMartin was a natural move. The daily money management industry was young, and the opportunity to define the landscape of an industry and possibly become the first nationally recognized name in the country was an invigorating challenge.

How did you become interested in NAWBO?A mentor of mine from the West Coast recommended NAWBO as a business resource. I wasn't sure I wanted to be in a woman-centric organization, but I went to an event and was amazed by the experience. It was full of people basically said "We haven't done enough to help you. What do you need?" They were so supportive! If that weren't enough, I left each meeting both inspired and informed. It was always time well spent. Needless to say, I joined...

Why is it useful for women to have their own organization?There are the obvious reasons, like the fact that women's personal lives as wives, mothers and caretakers often pose unique challenges that must be addressed. There's the need to unite in order to continue breaking down barriers that prevent women from moving forward and being independent and successful. There are more subtle things, too. As a gender, the way we think, process, lead and network makes doing business more different today than at any other time in history. NAWBO Greater DC is a place where women entrepreneurs find a structure that understands and supports them on every front.

How does the chapter interact with the national organization?NAWBO Greater DC is actually the founding chapter of the national organization, though we don't affect its operations today. National provides the basis from which each chapter forms, creates a brand, and cultivates corporate partnerships that chapters leverage, but the chapters run themselves independently. Each chapter develops its own "personality", serving markets where a need is present. In the DC metro area, we welcome everyone, but our educational content specifically addresses the challenges faced by established businesses in the $1M - $10M revenue range, because that group doesn't have many local resources available to it.

The national NAWBO site has an advocacy section; how are the issues selected? What is the procedure for the organization to take a position on an issue?I can't speak for NAWBO National, though I know they work on policy issues and also have a relationship with Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP). As the DC-area chapter, we appreciate the unique potential we have to affect issues that impact our businesses. We partner with WIPP and also have a Public Policy chair, but in general, we tread carefully around policy issues. We remain mindful that our primary mission is as an educational organization. When a policy issue comes up, it typically goes before the Board of Directors. If the Board thinks it has particular value to our members, the chapter will then get involved.

How are programs selected?They come about in several ways. We're always on the lookout for timely, innovative programs that are worth our members' time. Some are topics we come up with at the Board/Committee level, others are requested by members, others still are created because of an inspiring story. The format is varied to allow people to experience learning in different ways. This year, our primary programs include panel, speaker and author series. We added small SIGs and local get-togethers to encourage more informal exchanges of information.

What makes a good presentation? Which speakers stand out?A great program for NAWBO Greater DC has three parts: 1. A compelling topic 2. An interactive format that allows for questions and discussion 3. Networking among high-caliber women who support each other professionally and personallySome of our most popular speakers have been extremely successful women who candidly shared their "lessons learned." That's a euphemism for "horror stories." People take as much away from those as they do from the successes - I know I have! Rose Wang, Michelle Lee and Sheri Orlowitz are great examples.

Bestselling authors that focus on women in business or leadership, like Carly Fiorina, Donna Fenn and Angie Morgan really engage our members, too. It's a thrill to be able to meet these women, and an even bigger one to realize the respect they have for our members in the audience.

How did you come up with the idea for the wine and cheese networking events?Those came from the creative minds of the former Nation's Capital Chapter (now part of Greater DC). The events really allowed the people attending to enjoy the evening while making new connections. We haven't done those in a while. A number of networking organizations began offering them, so we moved to other event formats.

How do you see NAWBO's contribution to the women's movement?The NAWBO message is one of strength, voice, and growth. As a chapter, NAWBO Greater DC believes in empowering women personally and professionally. Our recent alliance with Second Chance Employment Services (SCES), a nonprofit that provides meaningful employment for women that have been victims of abuse, is a perfect example: We provide programs that make our member companies stronger. They, in turn, become SCES hiring partners, providing jobs for at-risk women who are emerging from abusive situations and (re)entering the work world. Our members also provide financial and in-kind donations, like the financial management workshops my company provides SCES participants. By weaving a fabric of women and resources, NAWBO Greater DC creates an environment of strength and empowerment that a woman couldn't easily create on her own. Women who are part of the NAWBO Greater DC experience become stronger, more supportive members of the community. They are role models and mentors for other women, other business owners, and most importantly, younger women.

How do you see NAWBO's contribution to leadership for the business community?Our focus on education, as opposed to pure networking, helps develop leaders who exemplify best practices as CEOs and as visionaries. They know how to take their businesses to the next level well before they need to do it. As they move their companies forward, they often create environments that foster growth and respect. The entire time, they're supported by NAWBO Greater DC with continuing education, introductions to the resources they need, and access to high-quality members who fill peer and mentoring roles for them.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

I attended my first meeting of the Washington Semantic Web MeetUp. It was the first time I had ever seen wine and cheese at a tech event. Whether this reflects the rarefied atmosphere of the semantic web or the quality of hospitality of Reiters, I don’t know. Either way, it was a delightful change from pizza and soft drinks, which are the usual fare for such occasions.

Daniel Mekonnen of Top Quandrant had already begun his presentation by the time I arrived. He said that it is helpful to think in terms of patterns in order to understand SPARQL. It is a query language related to SQL, as its name suggests. He suggested that programmers put their filters at the top of queries. He indicated that the use of optional would greatly reduce speed. He also suggested that it is better to implement SPARQL in TBC rather than Gruff.

BALTIMORE In the latest sign of trouble for Tribune Co.'s cash-strapped newspapers, The Baltimore Sun is moving its suburban bureau employees to its downtown office and also plans another round of staff reductions, a union leader said.

This piece I wrote for Bull Dog Reporter has proved to be hideously prophetic.

Slightly harder is a situation where you need the image to be translated into 21 different languages, because it's part of the website's navigation. The "About us" button in that case might need a translation workflow process that runs the image through a number of qualified translators and designers. You'll end up with one handle containing 21 different variants (with images that state "Au Sujet de Nous", "Over ons", "关于我们", etc).

I can see why a website would be designed that way; but usually the home page is set by the origin of the inquiry. For example, if I go to the Deutche Welle website I am automatically directed towards the English language homepage, presumably an inquiry originating from Germany would land on the German language homepage.

Across the federal government agencies need to gain information from a multitude of sources for better decision making. Also there is an expectation by constituents that government accelerate information flow.

This leads to questions that need to be addresses - Why are standards important? How will the new administration view information sharing? What are future programs to address information sharing challenges.

Please join us for an exciting panel that will address these issues and more.

David Cay Johnston is a reporter for the Columbian Journalism Review who insisted that White House communications personnel speak on the record. Bravo! Well done!

The practice of anonymous sources survives only because editors and reporters permit it to survive.

It also survives because our profession is foolish enough to think that we can manipulate it in our favor. Our clients will never be on the receiving end of smears and rumor mongering. Oh no. Certainly not. Perish the thought.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

STAMFORD -- Stamford and Greenwich became the stomping grounds of a grassroots campaign against corporate greed Sunday as part of a three day homeowners' workshop sponsored by the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America. Between 350 and 400 people, most of them members, staff or volunteers for the Boston-based nonprofit organization, converged outside the Greenwich home of William Frey, manager of Greenwich Financial Services, at around 1 p.m.

Angry shareholders are one thing; but protesters on your front lawn?

I have never had a client in this situation, but one of the reasons I advocate CEO's meeting with their critics in their offices is to avoid this sort of situation.

Friday, February 06, 2009

ComputerWorld has a story about KnujOn's report on the top ten spam-friendly domain registrars. This is normal public relations, do research, issue a report and alert the press. Just solid, basic PR, good but not brilliant.

I discovered the brilliant part when I went to the KnujOn's website. They are asking visitors to send them their spam. This gives them a list of prospects for their premium services along with the raw data for future research on spam. Well done KnujOn. File this under the Department of I wish I had thought of this myself.

Thursday, February 05, 2009

This is our first experience of recession in the internet age, and so far I don’t like it one little bit. You could say that the internet makes the recession more bearable as there are all those networks to help people get jobs and there is Ebay for buying things second-hand.

Yet such things are trivial compared to what the internet is doing to our confidence. The internet has created a global psyche. The web has mentally joined us at the hip, so we can no longer put our heads in the sand. If that sounds painfully contorted, it is because it is. Just as no country can decouple itself from the ailing global economy, none of us as individuals can decouple ourselves from the ailing global psyche.

Through blogs, websites and e-mails the world’s economic ills are fed to us on a drip all day long. It is not just that we hear about bad things faster, we hear about more of them and in a more immediate way. My worries become yours, and yours become mine. On the internet, a trouble shared online is not a trouble halved. It is a trouble needlessly multiplied all over the world. After reading this article, people in Australia will surely start worrying about my paint colours, too.

I think this is the strength of the Internet, its ability to give ordinary people a voice and the chance to hear the voice of ordinary people. It is changing the way we view recessions.

The survey found that respondents who spent 50% or more of their lead-generation budget on inbound marketing averaged $84 per lead, while businesses spending half or more of their budgets on such outbound marketing techniques as direct mail, telemarketing and trade shows averaged $220 per lead.

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Justin Thorp has an amazing post about a marketer who was prepared to spend a million dollars to dazzle TechCrunch into posting about her company.

There is an easier and cheaper way to get on TechCrunch, for $12,000 you can buy a monthly sponsorship. Obviously a post carries far more credibility than a paid advertisement, on the other hand an ad will appear when and where you want it to, to say nothing of the value of repetition.

I am surprised by all this endless angling for PR attention when you can simply buy it.

In the past few months, it has become even busier. The library, like most in the Washington area, has had a rising tide of users as patrons look for free computer access, DVD loans and activities for children during the recession. Circulation in the last six months of the year rose as much as 23 percent in libraries around the region, records show.

The influx comes just as county managers are preparing budgets for the coming fiscal year in a time of huge shortfalls. Libraries, like other services, face drastic cuts that could mean reducing staff and hours or even shuttering branches.

It never ceases to disappoint me that the same business interests who are so eager to call for public subsidies for sports stadiums are so reluctant to support a proven economic and community resource like libraries.

Sunday, February 01, 2009

The Total CIO, Promotes a vision of IT leadership that is customer-centric, best practice-driven, and above all focused on mission excellence!

Andy Blumenthal is the Chief Technology Officer at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Previously, Blumenthal served as the Chief, Office of Enterprise Architecture and IT Governance at the US Coast Guard and prior to that as Chief Enterprise Architect at the US Secret Service. Blumenthal is a visionary IT and business thought leader. For over 20 years, Blumenthal has developed leading-edge technology solutions for premier organizations in both the private and public sectors, including the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Treasury, the Dreyfus Corporation, and IBM. The recipient of numerous honors and awards for his work, Blumenthal is a regular public speaker, has published extensively, and has been featured in Federal Computer Week and interviewed on the radio. He is a lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University and National Defense University, and serves as associate editor of the Journal of Enterprise Architecture. Blumenthal is a member of the Society for Information Management, the Government Technology Research Alliance, and the Government Advisory Panel of the American Council for Technology/Industry Advisory Council.